feeling guilty about cereal

My lo is 18 weeks. Has gained well but never seems satisfied after feedings. Always wants more. She has been looking at out food while we eat so I feel like she is ready to "eat" too. I want to start her on cereal but every thing I read people are saying don't. J tried last night,but think it was too runny. I basically poured it down her throat with the spoon. She took to the spoon great though and seemed to like it. What do I do?

My lo is 18 weeks. Has gained well but never seems satisfied after feedings. Always wants more. She has been looking at out food while we eat so I feel like she is ready to "eat" too. I want to start her on cereal but every thing I read people are saying don't. J tried last night,but think it was too runny. I basically poured it down her throat with the spoon. She took to the spoon great though and seemed to like it. What do I do?

Breastfed babies should really be fed on demand, meaning that if she seems unsatisfied, it's a good idea to just pop her back on. My almost 5 month old is also watching us eat, but I think it's just a curious thing, not a ready to eat thing. In the first year solids should not replace nursing sessions, as breast milk really has everything they need. Here's an article from kellymom that may give you more guidance about starting solids.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-how.html

There's also lots of other info on there that might help.

Breastfed babies should really be fed on demand, meaning that if she seems unsatisfied, it's a good idea to just pop her back on. My almost 5 month old is also watching us eat, but I think it's just a curious thing, not a ready to eat thing. In the first year solids should not replace nursing sessions, as breast milk really has everything they need. Here's an article from kellymom that may give you more guidance about starting solids.

I do understand your feeling guilty as I am approaching my sons 4 month appointment (Tuesday). I have been very anxious wondering what she will suggest we do as far as feeding goes and trying to establish my ground on the issue. I think there is so much guilt that comes with being a mother and the solids is just one more thing. We want our lo to be content and I truly believe that some just are not content in BM alone. My son has doubled his weight, has had head control for two months, can sit up assisted, mimics my chewing, grabs at my food and states at me I gently when I'm eating... Those are all the outward signs they tell you to watch for. There is still this nagging that tells me to wait just one more month though. I am leaning towards five months as a happy medium. GL in what you decide... This is just the first of many hard decisions for us!

I do understand your feeling guilty as I am approaching my sons 4 month appointment (Tuesday). I have been very anxious wondering what she will suggest we do as far as feeding goes and trying to establish my ground on the issue. I think there is so much guilt that comes with being a mother and the solids is just one more thing. We want our lo to be content and I truly believe that some just are not content in BM alone. My son has doubled his weight, has had head control for two months, can sit up assisted, mimics my chewing, grabs at my food and states at me I gently when I'm eating... Those are all the outward signs they tell you to watch for. There is still this nagging that tells me to wait just one more month though. I am leaning towards five months as a happy medium. GL in what you decide... This is just the first of many hard decisions for us!

Go ahead and feed your baby the cereal, guilt-free and enjoy this fun new stage in her life! She doesn't *need* cereal at 4 months, but it's not going to hurt her as long as she continues to have lots and lots of nutrient-filled, yummy breastmilk. Plus, if she seems interested in eating then it's probably a great time to start learning a new skill. It may take a while before she understands eating and swolling off the spoon. Just start by mixing up maybe 1 tablespoon, really runny. Learning to swollow without sucking is a new challenge (I had no idea until I watched food just sit in my 5-mth-old's mouth while she stared at me, confused). At first it's mostly breastmilk with a little cereal on a spoon, but after a couple tries you can add more cereal. At this stage, view it as a fun game, nothing that's going to make or break your LO's future!

Go ahead and feed your baby the cereal, guilt-free and enjoy this fun new stage in her life! She doesn't *need* cereal at 4 months, but it's not going to hurt her as long as she continues to have lots and lots of nutrient-filled, yummy breastmilk. Plus, if she seems interested in eating then it's probably a great time to start learning a new skill. It may take a while before she understands eating and swolling off the spoon. Just start by mixing up maybe 1 tablespoon, really runny. Learning to swollow without sucking is a new challenge (I had no idea until I watched food just sit in my 5-mth-old's mouth while she stared at me, confused). At first it's mostly breastmilk with a little cereal on a spoon, but after a couple tries you can add more cereal. At this stage, view it as a fun game, nothing that's going to make or break your LO's future!

There is a reason the WHO recommends delaying solids until 6 months. I highly recommend doing some research on the topic before you make a decision. It's not just a nutritional concern but feeding solids before your lo's digestive system is ready can have some health consequences too.

There is a reason the WHO recommends delaying solids until 6 months. I highly recommend doing some research on the topic before you make a decision. It's not just a nutritional concern but feeding solids before your lo's digestive system is ready can have some health consequences too.

We started solids at 4 months. We went straight to fruits and veggies and avoided cereal until recently. LO is 9 months. The solids were added in addition to nursing sessions, not to replace them. At 6 months, we were at two solid meals a day and still 5-8 nursing sessions. At 8 months, we added the third solid meal and were still nursing strong. LO is 9 months old and is now eating table food and still nursing. The recommendations for solids are between 4-6 months. I intended to wait until 6 months, but LO was ready at 4. Great head control, no tongue reflex. Every baby is different, and you shouldn't feel guilty for doing what's right for yours.

We started solids at 4 months. We went straight to fruits and veggies and avoided cereal until recently. LO is 9 months. The solids were added in addition to nursing sessions, not to replace them. At 6 months, we were at two solid meals a day and still 5-8 nursing sessions. At 8 months, we added the third solid meal and were still nursing strong. LO is 9 months old and is now eating table food and still nursing. The recommendations for solids are between 4-6 months. I intended to wait until 6 months, but LO was ready at 4. Great head control, no tongue reflex. Every baby is different, and you shouldn't feel guilty for doing what's right for yours.

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